Tag Archives: Port Chaplains

The General Secretary of the International Christian Maritime Association has come to the end of his term in the role. Reverend Hennie la Grange will leave ICMA at the end of July 2013 after being in post since July 1st 2007. He will leave the office on July 15th. Hennie wrote:

The Strategic Review is moving ICMA forward in leaps and bounds. The Association has now arrived on the eve of a new era that promises to strengthen ICMA by transforming the secretariat and promoting the work of its members. These challenges call for new skills and fresh commitment. The last decade’s implementation of the GRUBB Report, ICMA’s previous review, and the ever changing environment of our ministries have led ICMA to branch out and break new ground.

I am gratified by the time I spent with ICMA. Moving across continents to take up this role has been worth every sacrifice.

I have been blessed with a world of new friends and family in faith. I have met remarkable people. I have discovered treasures in Christ’s church that I had never imagined. I have seen growing unity. Together we have celebrated difference. We have shared moments of great achievement while battling the complexities of life and work. We have seen excellence and failure, and together we have overcome. We have experienced firsthand the love of Our Father at work in this unique ecumenical community. Of course ecumenical communities need nurturing, and tolerance remains key. God’s Spirit, I pray, will help you to guard over this precious chunk of his kingdom.

I have the utmost respect for port chaplains who serve God and care passionately for his people of the sea. I thank God for you. Your labours, performed against impossible odds, are an inspiration. May God bless you with fulfilment, as that is the reward, I know, you desire most.

I hope that I have been able to contribute, just a little, to Christian unity, to the dignity of port chaplains and to the wellbeing of seafarers, fishers and their families.

I hope that I may have instilled in the industry and among our partners in the welfare sector, a sense of faith’s value in inspiring selfless commitment to care.

I hope that ICMA, its members and its chaplains, are a little more valued as a resource that can be relied upon even to swim that extra mile, when walking on the water is not an option.

Thank you all for having me! Thank you for your friendship and hospitality. I have not always been able to deliver what was expected or required, but you loved me all the same, as Christians do.

Vision – The International Christian Maritime Association will become the leading ecumenical and professional association of maritime ministries seeking to strengthen its Members’ maritime ministries for seafarers’ well-being.